Oct. 1, 2016 Rajewski

Oct.1, 2016 Kazmierczak

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Chooks..

A friend of ours from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan makes handmade caps for winter wear and was kind enough to send us four of them. They are soft, comfortable and warm. They have an added feature of material hidden under the top that is possible to pull down from the hat and cover your ears and neck. You can read about them and see more of the colors available at ...........https://www.facebook.com/yooper.chooks?fref=ts. In the U.P. such type hats are called "chooks" I don't know where the words originates from. Joan's favorite is the black and white one and I like the dark blue plaid.

In a comment yesterday a reader said I should post the information people ask me about moving to Poland and what is it like living here. There are many questions so I thought I would just answer a few now.

Do you feel safe in Poland? Yes. In the six years we have been here there was only one incident that took place in Warsaw. We were walking through the old town square with a cousin and her husband. There were four, young drunks sitting in front of a doorway and when they saw my cousin one of the drunks tried to grab her by the arm to talk with her. It was an unacceptable situation and we were able to get out of it before it became a battle. Other than that, Joan and I walk in many places during the day and nights and have never had any trouble from anyone.

How is it possible to stay in Poland for longer than a 90 day regulated stay limit? It is possible to do that if you apply for a Temporary Residency Permit and it is accepted. You then can stay for two years, after which you can apply again. After 5 years, you can apply for a Permanent Residency Permit which allows you to stay indefinitely. Because I have documented proof that all of my ancestry is of Polish origin, I was given the Permanent Residency Permit before our first two years ended. It would be advisable to check with the Polish Embassy to find out what documents you need to apply for the Temporary Permit long before you plan a move.

What is health care like in Poland? I can only speak from personal information. Although we heard/hear many horror stories about it, we have been using it for five years and have not had a problem. Like any other country, there are good and bad doctors and it's best to talk with friends here for recommendations. I had prostrate cancer three years ago but do to the health care I received I survived. Yes, sometimes when you need a non-emergency procedure you do get put on a waiting list that can be from anywhere between one month to one year but you can have it done privately which, of course, you have to pay for.